Job skills program offered by Boys and Girls Club

The Charlottetown Boys and Girls Club is the first in the Maritimes to offer a program that helps teens find jobs in the trades.

Joey Chen hopes the Skilled 4 Success program at the Boys and Girls Club will help him find a job this summer. (Lindsay Carroll/CBC)

Skilled 4 Success is aimed at teenagers aged 14 to 17, and is offered at 20 clubs across Canada. Over 10 weekly sessions, participants learn how to build a resume, look for posted jobs, and then job shadow a business of their choosing.

Joey Chen hopes the program will give him a head start on others looking for summer jobs.

"If I don't start earlier, there might be more competition in the summer for part-time jobs," said Chen.

"Despite my academic works in school, I might want to consider other options like say getting a cooking job, because I like to cook. I was thinking maybe if I take this course right now, then I would know if I want to take this cooking job in the future, without having to take any cooking courses in high school."

Last year a pilot project helped about five teens. This year, the program has helped more than a dozen.